Machine posting stand with revolving posting tray



Sam., W, 'W56 A. n. MARTHN mm. @63,523

MACHINE POSTING STAND WITH REVOLVING POSTINGTRY Filed July 26, 1955 2Sheets-Sheet E.

1N VEN TOR. A 5h05 y ,EL AWA ,e7/fw g ,em/Amm ffl/fag@ United StatesPatent O MACHINE POSTING STAND WITH REVOLVING POSTING TRAY Ashby R.Martin, Mobile, Ala., and Raymond E. Krueger, Topeka, Kans.

Application July 26, 1955, Serial No. 524,497

2 Claims. (Cl. 311-32) This invention relates to office equipment, andmore particularly to an improved office cabinet provided with means forsupporting a posting tray r the like thereon and arranged so that saidmeans may be readily rotated to a convenient position when desired.

A main object of the invention is to `provide a novel and improvedoffice cabinet provided with .a revolving top adapted to receive aloose-leaf machine posting tray, or the like, so that the posting trayor similar object can be rotated rapidly to a convenient position withrespect to the operator while permitting access to the cabinet, theimproved cabinet being simple in construction, being easy to operate,and providing a great saving in time and space.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved cabinetprovided with a revolving top support adapted to carry a posting tray,or the like, the cabinet being provided with drawers for containing`signature cards and similar objects, the revolving top being readilyrotatable to a convenient position with respect to the operator andbeing readily movable so :that access may be rapidly obtained to thedrawers in `the cabinet without disturbing the operator, the revolvingtop permitting the tray to be made available to operators on either sideof the cabinet, the cabinet being relatively inexpensive to manufacture,being rugged in construction, and being neat in appearance.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentfrom the following description and claims, and from the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an improved machine posting cabinetconstructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical cross sectional view to an enlargedscale taken on the line 2--2 of Figure l.

Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse vertical cross sectional vew taken onthe line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged horizontal cross sectional view taken on theline 4-4 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings, 11 generally designates an improved postingcabinet constructed in accordance with the present invention, saidcabinet being generally rectangular in shape and being provided with apair of slide ing drawers 12 and 13 which are interiorly arranged withsuitable partitions to receive signature cards and other data. Forexample, as shown in Figure 3, the upper drawer 12 may be provided withlongitudinal partitions 14 defining respective longitudinal spaces forsignature cards, and the lower drawer 13 may be provided with suitablespacer elements 15, 15, defining a le folder space therebetween.

The rectangular main body of the cabinet is designated generally at 16and is provided with the top wall 17. Designated at 18 and 19 arerespective vertically aligned bearing elements which are secured inregistry to the bottom and top surfaces of the central portion of topwall 17 and which rotatably receive and support a verti cal shaft 20,the top wall 17 being suitably apertured 2,7 63,523 Patented Sept. 18,1956 to allow said shaft to `extend therethrough to the lower bearingmember 18. Secured to the top end of the `shaft 20 is a horizontal platemember 21, and secured `on said horizontal plate member 21 is agenerally rectangular horizontal platform 22, said platformbeingprovided with the depending marginal flange 23 extending completelytherearound and defining a depending skirt at the edges of therectangular platform 22.

Secured on the top surface of the platform 22 are the spaced side anglebrackets 23' and the respective front and rear end angle brackets 24defining a rectangular enclosure adapted to receive a posting tray,`account book, or the like, designated in dotted View at 25 in Figure l.The side angle brackets 23 and the end angle brackets 24 are arranged todefine a rectangular enclosure, as illustrated, whereby the tray 25 willbe securely supported on the platform 22, but may be readily lifted fromsaid platform when necessary.

Designated at 26 is a generally circular cup member which is secured onthe top wall 17 of the cabinet body 16 concentrically with the shaft 2)and the bearing elements 18 and 19, the shaft 20 extending through thehorizontal bottom wall 27 of the cup member 26, as is clearly shown inFigure 2. Said bottom wall 27 is secured to the top Wall 17 of thecabinet in any suitable manner, as by being fastened thereto by the samebolts 28 which are employed to secure the flanges of the bearingelements 18 and 19 to the top wall 17.

The annular vertical wall of the cup member 26 thus concentricallysurrounds the bearing element 19 and the shaft 20, and is of substantialdiameter. Said annular wall is formed with the uniformly spaced,upwardly facing notches 29 in its top portion. Designated at 30 is atransverse horizontal rod member which is located outwardly adjacent theannular vertical wall of cup `member 26 and which extends through thedepending skirt element 23 and is `rotatably supported at its endportions in said depending skirt member. The end portions `of the `rod30 are provided with `suitable knobs 32, 32, including transverselyextending pins 33, permitting said knobs to be readily grasped androtated by an operator. Rigidly secured to the intermediate portion ofthe rod 30 is the laterally projecting locking finger 34 which islockingly engageable in the notches 29, the finger 34 being biased intosuch locking engagement by a coiled spring 35 connected between anupwardly projecting pin 36 secured to the rod 30 and a depending lug 37formed in the platform 22. As shown in Figure 4, the spring 35 biasesthe rod 30 in a direction to urge the finger 34 into locking engagementwith a notch 29 in the top portion of the vertical annular wall of cupmember 26.

Designated at 39 is a leaf spring secured at 40 to the underside of thetray member 22 and extending beneath and frictionally engaging the rodmember 30, the leaf spring 39 being located immediately beneath thefinger 34 and being engageable with the mid portion of the rod member 30to provide a resilient support for said mid portion.

The platform 22 is provided with a removable cover plate 41 to provideaccess at times to the bearing member 19 for lubricating shaft 20 andthe bearing members when required.

As above explained, the finger 34 locks the platform 22 in a fixedposition, When it is desired. to rotate the platform, for example, toallow an operator to obtain access to the posting tray 25 from the sideof the cabinet, the operator rotates the knob 32 at said side to elevatethe finger 34 and release the platform 22. The platform 22 may be thenswung to the desired position with respect to the operator, after whichthe knob 32 is released, allowing the finger 34 to lock the platform 22in its adjusted position. When an operator on the other side of ICC thecabinet desires access to the tray 25, the operator may rotate the trayto the desired position thereof by following the same procedure outlinedabove, namely, by rotating the knob 32 on said opposite side to releasethe finger 34 and allow the tray 25 to be rotated to the desiredposition, after which the knob 32 may be released, again locking thetray in adjusted position. Thus, operators on both sides of the cabinetmay use the posting tray without substantially interfering with eachothers operations, and at the same time, the front of the cabinet isunobstructed, allowing access to the drawers 12 and 13 by any personrequiring same.

Designated at 50 is a suitable, generally rectangular removable housingor cover which is engageable over the platform 22 in the mannerillustrated in Figure 3 to house and protect the platform when desired.The housing 50 is provided with the inturned peripheral flange 51 whoseside portions are engageable with suitable positioning blocks 54 securedto the top wall 17 of the cabinet 16 on opposite sides of the platform22, whereby the inturned ilange 51 may serve to properly position thehousing 50 over the platform 22, in the manner shown in dotted view inFigure 2. As shown in Figure 2, grooved guide elements 53 are providedat one end of the top wall 17, suitable positioning blocks 54 beingprovided at the other end of said top wall to cooperate with theinturned flange 51 at the respective ends of housing S0.

While a specific embodiment of an improved machine posting cabinet witha revolving posting tray platform thereon has been disclosed in theforegoing description, it will be understood that various modificationswithin the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in theart. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on theinvention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a tray support of the type comprising a top wall, means on saidtop wall defining a vertical bearing, a vertical shaft journaled in saidmeans, a horizontal platform secured on said shaft, respective dependingflanges on the opposite sides of said platform, and means on saidplatform to supportingly receive a posting tray or the like, theimprovement comprising an upstanding notched wall secured to said topwall around said shaft beneath said platform, a horizontal rod memberextending rotatably through said depending flanges outwardly adjacentsaid notched wall and being supported in said flanges, an arm on saidrod member lockingly engageable with said upstanding notched wall,spring means connecting said rod member to said platform and urging saidrod member to rotate in a direction to bias said arm into lockingengagement with said notched wall, and handle means on the opposite endsof said horizontal rod member whereby said rod member may be manuallyrotated from opposite sides of the platform.

2. In a tray support of the type comprising a top wall, means on saidtop wall defining a vertical bearing, a vertical shaft journaled in saidmeans, a horizontal platform secured on said shaft, respective dependingilanges on the opposite sides of said platform, and means on saidplatform to supportingly receive a posting tray or the like, theimprovement comprising an upstanding notched wall secured to saidsupport around said shaft beneath said platform, a horizontal rod memberextending rotatably through said depending flanges outwardly adjacentsaid notched wall and being supported in said flanges, an arm on saidrod member lockingly engageable with said upstanding notched wall,spring means connecting said rod member to said platform and urging saidrod member to rotate in a direction to bias said arm into lockingengagement with said notched wall, a leaf spring secured to theunderside of said platform and frictionally engaging said rod member andhandle means on the opposite ends of said horizontal rod member wherebysaid rod member may be manually rotated from opposite sides of theplatform.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

